


Love's Curse

by Fairygirl34



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Magic, Curse Breaker! Harry Potter, Curse Breaker! Tom Riddle, F/M, Gen, Healer! Draco Malfoy, M/M, Mix of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns AU, Movie tropes, Reincarnated! Harry Potter, Sorry Not Sorry, Tomarry Big Bang 2017, Work In Progress, i had fun with this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2018-12-26 14:57:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12061326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairygirl34/pseuds/Fairygirl34
Summary: The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) AU. It's a mixture of both.For as long as he could remember, Harry Potter had strange dreams haunt him that seemed almost as if he had lived them. Now as an Apprentice Curse-Breaker, it's not until he is assigned to a mission in Egypt that the dreams start to get more frequent and vivid. And when a mummy from Harry's past has reawakened, it'll take every bit of wit, intelligence and an insane amount of luck for everyone to send the mummy back to where he came from.But would Harry want to?





	1. Prologue

**Anpu – meaning Royal Child, Egyptian myth of a jackal-headed god of the Underworld**

****Busiris – meaning Temple of Osiris** **

_****€Ancient Egyptian€** ** _

**$Parseltongue$**

"Talking"

_Thinking, Flashbacks, reading, etc._

 

__

  ** **Thebes – 1,290 B.C.****

 

The scorching sun beats down upon all those down in the city, its rays glaring into the desert sand but the people of The Kingdom of Egypt are used to it. They wear clothing of white thin material to keep themselves cool and shaded from the sun. The chants of the priests from the various temples are heard throughout the day. Soldiers patrol the city, making sure that nothing is out of the ordinary. Master craftsmen construct great sculptures of the gods and of Pharaoh as Master artisans paint the Temple walls with glorious stories of Egypt and the Pharaoh’s might or the large sculptures of their gods.

A crowd watches and cheers as the Pharaoh races faster with his chariot against his competitors. A virile aristocratic man who grins in triumph as the end of the race comes to an end with him being the victor.

 

_Thebes. City of the Living. The Crown jewel of Pharaoh Seti the First._

 

In the Pharaoh’s palace, servants bustle throughout its golden walls. As the sun sets to the west of the Nile, the Pharaoh sits on his throne thoroughly entertained by the dancing girls and musicians while his priests stand to the sides and below his dais, observing the show. Pharaoh feasts on wine and other luxurious foods that only the wealthy would be able to afford. Pharaoh Seti can occasionally be seen conversing with a handsome man wearing the robes of a High Priest but with a hidden look of darkness, that does not bold well for any enemies.

 

_Home of Imhotep, High Priest of Osiris, and Keeper of the Dead._

 

The cool desert wind blows through the large balcony with only a single figure standing gazing upon the sparkling stars. Imhotep turns towards the large ornate doors when he hears the soft footsteps of someone behind him. The person he turns to find is breathtaking and beautiful in every sense of the word.

A beautiful young male with a black braided wig interwoven with a few jewels, olive-skin glowing from the torches with black body paint that is painted in intricate designs all over his body, almost giving an illusion of a tight fitting robe, with the exception of the linen cloth that barely covered his more intimate parts. The black lines drawn around his eyes enhance the greenest eyes to ever be seen in Egypt, no doubt a gift from the gods.

Imhotep smiles charmingly at the young man before holding out his hand.

 

_The birthplace of Anpu-Busiris._

_Pharaoh’s male lover._

_No other person was allowed to touch him._

 

Soon, the two are in a locked in a passionate kiss, with Imhotep’s hands smearing the paint on Anpu-Busiris’ shoulders. Imhotep’s priests quickly draw the large curtains to cover the couple and hastily try to close the doors of Anpu-Busiris’ private rooms. Unfortunately, they do not succeed as the Pharaoh pushes the doors with all his might before the doors can be locked tight. The priests are quick to stop and move out of Pharaoh’s way.

 _ **€What are You doing here?€** _ The Pharaoh demands angrily, while looking at the bowed priests in suspicion. Pharaoh’s eyes move towards the curtains where he knows the large bed lays hidden from prying eyes.

 

_But for their love, they were willing to risk life itself._

 

The priests say nothing, keeping their heads bowed, hoping that the Pharaoh will not smite them where they stand. When the Pharaoh quickly strides over to the curtains, Imhotep’s priests take the opportunity to close the doors and lock them up tight.  
Pharaoh pulls the curtains back to find his young lover standing alone, causally leaning upon a black cat statue. Apun-Busiris gives the Pharaoh a coy smile, however, the Pharaoh notices the smeared body paint.

Angrily, he points to his catamite’s arm and demands, ** _€Who has touched you!?€_**

Apun-Busiris says nothing but Pharaoh notices the green eyes move to a spot behind him. The sound of a sword being taken out of its sheath has Pharaoh turn around to find his High Priest, a man he had thought was completely loyal to him, pointing his own sword at his chest.

 ** _€Imhotep?! My Priest!€_ ** Pharaoh says in disbelief, never knowing that his young lover had pulled a hidden dagger from the cat statue and aimed it at his back.

Imhotep smiles wickedly when _his lover_ \- no longer the Pharaoh’s - strikes as quick as a snake, lodging the dagger into Pharaoh’s back, before bringing it back out. Pharaoh’s cries of pain echo throughout the large room as Imhotep and Apun-Busiris take turns stabbing the man to death.

Imhotep’s priests slowly and cautiously move closer to the still closed curtains as they watch the shadows of Imhotep and Apun-Busiris continuously assassinate the Pharaoh right in front of them. As soon as the Pharaoh is lying dead at their feet, ramming from the doors his heard that has everyone freeze for only a second.

 ** _€Pharaoh’s bodyguards!€_ ** Imhotep states with an angry but determined look upon his face. He would do anything to protect the both of them, even using his powers to kill every last guard in his way.

The priests are quick to go to Imhotep and try and move him away from the scene of the crime.

But he will not budge.

 ** _€Go! Save yourself!€_ ** Apun-Busiris pleads as he takes Pharaoh’s bloody sword from Imhotep’s hands. The young man can see the other despair at the thought of leaving him there to face the punishment they will give him, but it had to be done for Imhotep to survive. **_€Only you can resurrect me!€_**

 ** _€I won’t leave you!€_** Imhotep says determinedly as he faces the still locked doors. Unfortunately, his priests continue to try and pull him away. Angrily, he demands, **_€Get away from me!€_ **

It is Apun-Busiris’ pleading green eyes that has Imhotep falter in his decision to stay with his lover. He comes to a quick decision, knowing that he is the only one to resurrect Apun-Busiris after he is sentenced to death for the murder of the Pharaoh. As he is being pulled away, Imhotep yells, **_€You shall live again! I will resurrect you!€_**

Apun-Busiris can only watch anxiously as Imhotep and his priests escape.

The doors burst open and Pharaoh’s bodyguards march in, weapons aimed and ready to face any enemies. They stride to the curtains and open them to find Pharaoh’s bloody body lying on the ground and only Apun-Busiris standing there hunched with the bloody sword in his hand.

Apun-Busiris hisses, **_€My body is no longer his temple.€_** Then quickly raising the sword and stabbing himself in the gut, effectively killing himself.

Imhotep turns away in despair as he saw the shadow of his lover take his own life, hidden in the shadows of the balcony where the bodyguards would not find him. He promised to himself that he would raise his lover back from the dead.  
No matter what.

 

_For the murder of the Pharaoh, Apun-Busiris’ soul was sent to the Dark Underworld._

_His body mummified and vital organs placed in five sacred canopic jars._

 

**Hamunaptra – City of the Dead**

 

Chariots race across the desert with only the moon and stars to light their way. Imhotep occasionally focuses on a chariot to his left where the sarcophagus and mummified body of Apun-Busiris is held as they make their way to Hamunaptra. They have little time before Pharaoh’s bodyguards figure out what he has done. The burning fires of the torches from the walls of Hamunaptra blaze across the night. As soon as they make it to the City of the Dead, Imhotep takes Apun-Busiris’ corpse out from its sarcophagus and carefully carries it down into the underground ritual chamber.

 

_Imhotep stole Apun-Busiris’ corpse, taking it to Hamunaptra._

_The ancient burial site for the sons of Pharaohs, resting place for the wealth of Egypt._

_And where the Book of the Dead was hidden._

_So that he could bring back Apun-Busiris’ soul back from the Dark Underworld._

 

Imhotep carefully lays the mummy down upon a stone table, wide enough to hold a body. The walls are carved with designs of various gods, chants and stories of the Pharaohs in beautiful paintings and hieroglyphics. The priests move into position around the stone table and begin chanting.  
Imhotep carefully unwraps the linen from Apun-Busiris’ corpse, until all that is left is the dried body. Canopic jars are placed in a row beside the body and when ready, Imhotep uses an eight star shaped puzzle box key to unlock The Book of the Dead – removed from its Holy Resting Place within the feet of the statue of Anubis.

The priests’ chants are harmonious but haunting as they kneel and bow up and down when Imhotep moves within the circle with the open Book of the Dead to resurrect his dead lover.

Within the chamber, a large pool of murky black water ripples a few feet away from the chanting priests. The lit torches give the room an even more haunting atmosphere, casting shadows that seem to dance across everyone and the chamber.

The chanting increases as Imhotep speaks the forbidden spell. From the murky black water, sounds of hisses and moans of despair, echoed throughout the chamber. A black shadowy and ghostly figure slowly but surely emerges from the water, moaning as it moved towards the corpse of Apun-Busiris and settling inside.

The corpse gasped as if taking a deep breath.

Imhotep raises a sacrificial knife in order to cut open Apun-Busiris’ body and place his vital organs back into his body.

But it was not to be.

 

_Apun-Busiris’ soul had come back from the dead._

_But Pharaoh’s bodyguards followed Imhotep and stopped him before the ritual could be completed._

 

Imhotep watches in despair as Apun-Busiris’ soul escapes from the corpse to fly around in the chamber with loud pricing screams before bursting into two parts – though mostly unnoticed except by Imhotep – as one piece goes back to the Dark Underworld and the other manages to leave the chamber relatively unnoticed.

 

_Imhotep’s priests were condemned to be mummified alive._

 

The torches cast shadows across the embalming chamber and men wearing masks of the jackal headed god of death, Anubis - making them seem as if they were monsters who were following Anubis’ Will – move around with purpose. The priests are held down by various devices and fear is evident on their faces as the embalmers grab their now hot knives and begin to cut the priests’ tongues out.

Screams echoed all around.

Even though no one would ever know where the condemned were going to be buried, cutting out their tongues would ensure that they couldn’t call for help.  
The priests would not be able to have a proper mummification or burial. They would keep all their organs and no spells - that were usually written on the linen – would not be placed in order to protect them in the afterlife, thus making them stuck in between the two worlds for all of eternity.

 

_As for Imhotep, he was condemned to endure the Hom-dai. The worst of all ancient curses and had never been bestowed._

 

After most of the priests were mummified and sealed into their sarcophagi alive, Imhotep’s mummification proceeded with Pharaoh’s bodyguards and embalmers holding Imhotep still as they also cut off his tongue.

Because the Hom-dai was such a dark curse, the few magic users within the two groups, needed to only help sustain the curse and keep Imhotep relatively alive as the embalmers took out all the organs, except the heart as was custom, and place them into five sacred canopic jars. These jars would then be sealed along with the Book of the Dead within a chest that would be once again hidden within the feet of the statute of Anubis.

Imhotep struggled as he was being wrapped in the linen, the black glue that they used to make it stick in place spreading in some places across his body and the wrappings. No spells or little charms of protection and luck were placed on the wrappings, to show that Imhotep would never be able to pass on to the afterlife as well.

The Magi ceased their chanting, the curse completed, then went to place a curse on the chest that held Imhotep’s canopic jars and the Book of the Dead.  
Finally, Imhotep could only squirm in place with the last of the wrappings covering his entire face. He felt them carry him from the table he had been on and knew without a doubt that he was now in his sarcophagus. His muffle screams continued and increased when the living mummy realized that the flesh-eating scarabs had been dumped inside with him. He squirmed as if trying to fight through his wrappings and escape the insects, however, his muffled screams further quieted when they placed the lid of the sarcophagus on top and locked it.

 

_He was to be remained sealed in his sarcophagus, the undead for all of eternity._

 

_The Magi would never allow for him to be released, for he would arise a walking disease._

_A plague among mankind, an unholy flesh eater._

_With the strength of ages, power over the sands, and the glory of invincibility._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my story for the Big Bang, unfortunately, its not all finished but I already have a couple of chapters finished until I have to write the rest of the story.
> 
> Still I hope you guys enjoy it! It was something I wanted to try out and a bit of fun with it. :) 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!


	2. Chapter 2

****

**12 Grimmauld Place – Harry’s Room – July 19, 1999**

Harry awoke with a gasp.

It took a few moments for him to get his breathing under control. He dragged a hand through his messy black hair and down his face.

Why was it always something that happened to him?

For as long as he could remember, vivid dreams would invade his mind, making him have numerous restless nights. When Harry was younger, it wasn’t as bad because he could hardly remember what the dreams were about but it wasn’t until he got older and attending Hogwarts did the dreams start to stick in his mind, even long after he had woken up. Dreams of a man – though Harry could never remember his face – that he somehow knew was important to him and always telling him that he loved him and somehow Harry knew that it was true.

Harry was all for finding “The One”, whether male or female, but even he thought it was pathetic that he had to start dreaming of someone because he had a non-existent love life. Except, the dreams were becoming more realistic and strange as his birthday drew closer.

He didn’t know why, but something momentous was going to happen.

And soon.

Quickly grabbing his wand, Harry cast a quick tempus. He had forty-five minutes until he had to show up at work. After taking care of his morning routine, Harry made himself a cup of coffee with cream and sugar to wake the rest of his mind. He needed to be in top performance when he went to work.

As an apprentice Curse Breaker, time was money. Literally. If he was even _one second late,_ the Goblins would have his head and paycheck. Greedy little bastards they were, though Hermione was always going on about how they just act that way because the Pureblood wizards don’t want to give magical creatures privileges of wands and rights. Which was more likely to be _partially true_ , but Goblins were greedy in nature, however, Hermione seemed to either ignore or was ignorant of that little fact. Harry had a feeling it was the former.

Making sure that he had his wand and everything that he needed, Harry apparated out of Grimmauld Place – the home he had inherited from his beloved and deceased godfather – and appeared in a secluded apparition point close to The Leaky Cauldron and away from the sight of muggles. Harry made it inside Gringotts with three minutes to spare. He quickly went to the back where Gringotts employees met and found Bill Weasley.

Surprisingly, Ron and Mad-Eye Moody were there as well.

Ron spotted Harry first, and waved him closer with a large smile on his face.

“Hey Harry!”

Harry smiled and greeted the group. “Hey Ron. Bill. Moody. So what are you guys doing here?”

“We’re heading to Egypt and these two are our escorts.” Bill answered. “We’re going to help an old classmate of mine from Hogwarts. Tom Riddle.”

“Who’s Tom Riddle?” Ron asked. The guy didn’t seem that important, though he was sure he had heard his name somewhere before.

Bill rolled his eyes at his baby brother. “He’s one of the best Curse-Breakers and Archeologists in the Whole Wizarding World.”

Harry nodded along to Bill’s explanation. Tom Riddle was the best of the best. There hadn’t been a tomb or curse he couldn’t break in his entire career. Riddle had inspired Harry to become a Curse-Breaker though the man would never ever know that. It had been when they had been choosing their extra classes for third year and Harry hadn’t know what to choose when inspiration came to him.

He originally was going to take Care of Magical Creatures and Divination for an easy grade but as he was going through the pamphlets for career choices, Curse-Breaking had caught his attention. For most of his life, people had expected him to become an Auror like his dad when he was still alive. And Harry would have gone down that path but when he read the pamphlet about Curse-Breaking, it really seemed like the career for him. Harry had often heard about the job from Ron about his older brother Bill, who was a curse breaker for Gringotts. So Ancient Runes and Arithemacy were the classes that Harry had picked much to Hermione’s delight and Ron’s chagrin.

When Harry had stayed at the Burrow during the summers and Bill managed to visit on the rare occasion, the young teen would talk and ask Bill all sorts of questions about his career. Bill would go on about all the places he’s been and the tombs they’ve opened and curses they’ve broken. It was full of danger and but required a finesse that most people didn’t have. That’s how he learned about Tom Riddle from Bill. The man was a genius with the highest O.W.L and N.E.W.T scores that Hogwarts ever had in centuries.

Harry aspired to be just as good as him someday, if he would ever get to that level.

Before Bill could say anything more about their assignment, Hermione came bursting through with her arms full of books and scrolls and her special moleskin pouch that had so many extension charms on it, it practically had everything in there. She looked a little frazzled but ready to take on her next crusade.

“Hey ‘Mione.” Harry greeted.

“What are you doing here?” Ron asked bluntly. “Weren’t you busy fighting for creature rights at the Ministry?”

Hermione huffed in annoyance. “I was, except those stuffy and snob-nosed Purebloods snubbed me again and had the audacity to say that I had to run this ‘little errand’ before I could even have my proposals _considered.”_

Harry and Ron winced at Hermione’s angry expression. She sure had it tough in the Ministry, especially since the wealthy Purebloods had the most power in the Ministry. But they knew that if anyone could do it, it was Hermione Granger.

“Well, we’re glad to have you on board Hermione.” Bill smiled. “Now we just have to wait for one more person and then I can brief everyone on the details of our job.”

The group didn’t have to wait long as Draco Malfoy strode in confidently towards them. Ron frowned unhappily at seeing Draco, Hermione and the others wore more neutral expressions and Harry smiled widely at seeing his other close friend joining their group.

“Harry. Weasley. Granger. Mr. Weasley. Auror Moody.” Draco greeted with only their names.

“Ferret.” Ron scowled, earning a sneer from Malfoy. He and Malfoy could work together but they would never be friends.

Bill, Moody and Hermione nodded in greeting while Harry greeted Draco with a smile. “It’s nice to see you Draco.”

The young Malfoy relaxed slightly at Harry’s greeting. Because of his family’s history, Draco was always on guard unless he didn’t feel threatened or was people he knew and cared for, which were far and few in between. After all, most of Wizarding Britain distrusted him just because he was a Malfoy and the grandson of a Dark Lord, who had targeted the Potter's because of a prophecy.

“Okay, now that everyone is here. I’ll get to the point.” Bill started. “A fellow classmate, Curse-Breaker and Archeologist Tom Riddle has asked, well demanded, our help. He hasn’t told me much about the newest dig site, that only it is a top secret site with possible danger from all the dark curses that could be present and its location is in Egypt. He asked for me specifically and anyone I deemed necessary for our job. Because it’s a long journey, I will allow you guys to go home and pack everything that you guys will need for at least a month or so of necessities and to meet back here in an hour. That’s when the portkey is set to activate.”

With excited murmurs, everyone went to pack whatever they may need.

Harry was excited to be going to Egypt. Usually he and Bill only got jobs that were quite local or in France since he was only an apprentice. The goblins sent them on small and somewhat easy jobs, so the more experienced Curse breakers could test his abilities and teach him the ropes. The goblins would make sure that they couldn’t lose any more money than they had to because of wizards. So being sent on a big expedition like this to help one of the best, meant that the goblins believed him to more than competent for the job.

He packed light and airy type of clothes, mostly muggle since robes would be inconvenient for the desert, along with his Invisibility Cloak and toiletries. Harry made it back to Gringotts with his trunk shrunk and his pocket, a few minutes before the portkey would activate. Everyone made back around the same time as him and Bill took out the portkey which was a piece of rope and instructing everyone to grab on.

“It’s a long journey so make sure everything is secured tightly on your person.” Bill instructed.

Soon the portkey activated and landed straight into Egypt’s version of the Ministry of Magic. Harry still hated portkeys with a passion but at least, he managed to somewhat stay on his feet and not fall in his face in front of everybody. Looking around, Harry found themselves in a medium sized and bare room that seemed to allow portkeys to enter.

“Bill, I’m pleased to see that you’ve managed to make it on such short notice.” A deep and smooth voice said from the side of the room.

The group turned to find a tall handsome man standing a few feet away, his grey-blue eyes gazing intently at them all. Harry could see from his peripheral vision of Hermione lightly blushing and not-so-subtly fixing her hair, with Ron frowning at Hermione’s reaction. No doubt wonder if he would have some competition for Hermione’s affections. Harry himself was doing his best to look as professional as he could be because he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Tom Riddle.

And secretly hoped he wasn't blushing.

Bill walked forward and shook the man’s hand.

“Tom. It’s great to see you again.” Bill greeted with a smile. “Let me introduce you to my team. Auror Alastor Moody, Auror Trainee Ron Weasley – my youngest brother, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.”

Bill pointed to each and every one as he introduced them, though Harry was sure that Riddle’s eyes had held his own for a moment longer than the others. Of course, it was probably him just imagining it.

Riddle smirked and gestured for everyone to follow him. The Egyptian Ministry was in Cairo and Riddle had them go to a secluded area where no muggles would see them and took out another portkey, this time an ugly looking scarf, and told them it would take them near their hotel in Thebes. The journey was thankfully shorter but Harry wasn’t the only one who hated taking another portkey so soon after the first one.

The hotel was simple but elegant, as Riddle gave them a brief tour of the hotel and area surrounding it.

He took them to a suite – which already had suitcases inside and everyone assumed it was Riddle’s room – towards what seemed to be a dining room area and gestured for them to sit down.

“Now I’m sure you’re wondering where the dig site is going to be since no details had been given.” Riddle began. “I have recently come across a rare artifact and map that may truly lead us to the infamous Hamunaptra.”

“What!? No Way!” Bill exclaimed.

“What is the artifact? Where did you find this map? How do you know it’s real?” Hermione fired at the same time.

“What the bloody hell is this hamapaptra?” Ron questioned, completely saying the name wrong.

“What’s so great about this Hamunaptra?” Draco asked, though he wouldn’t have been surprised if no one heard him with the others firing their questions at rapid speed.

“I’ve heard it’s the treasure of treasure for curse-breakers and archeologists in the world.” Harry answered.

Draco nodded in understanding.

If they really did have a map and found Hamunaptra, their names would go down in all of Wizarding World History, unless Hogwarts students would still be continued to be put to sleep from the boring classes and goblin rebellion lectures of Binns’ class.

Riddle narrowed his eyes slightly and flared his magic to get everyone to pay attention.

“Silence.”

The word was normal, quiet yet had a hissing quality to it that had everyone stop and pay attention. When Riddle had everyone’s attention, he leisurely took out his bone white wand – a Yew and Phoenix feather that Harry knew from Ollivander was the brother wand to his own Holly and Phoenix – and put all kinds of security, silencing and strong Notice-Me-Not’s all around the room.

“What I’m about to tell you is of the utmost importance and _must be_ kept secret? Understood?” Riddle questioned, with the _or else_ left unsaid.

With everyone’s nods, he continued on. “To start off for those who don’t know,” Here he gave a pointed look to the two Aurors and Healer in the group. “Hamunaptra, is the legendary City of the Dead where it had been rumored to store the wealth of Egypt along with the many mummies of Pharaohs past. For centuries, many just believed it to be a tall-tale given to the Greeks and Romans who visited, however, I have managed to find a real map to Hamunaptra. Where I got it is of no real importance.” Tom stated nonchalantly.

“City of the Dead, eh?” Moody chuckled darkly. “Nasty curses are sure to be there. Think this team can handle them?”

“Of course,” Tom answered confidently. “I only have the best and exceptional curse-breakers on my team. Bill wouldn't have picked any od you, if he thought you were incompetent for the job.”

Moody just smirked in response.

“Please forgive me, Mr. Riddle, for being rude, but I think that the knowledge of how you obtained the map to this legendary city should be addressed.” Hermione stated matter-of-factly. “As I have been given the job, by Ministry of Magic, to write a report on this expedition and have been told to not leave a single detail out, the knowledge that this map is truly the real thing is important.”

“Hmm, what was your name again?”

Hermione blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the abrupt question. “Hermione Granger, sir.”

A dangerous smirk, adorned the man’s face, and everyone couldn’t help but shiver a little in fear and something else for Harry.

“There are many thing that are best left uncovered. The knowledge about the map has been hidden by deceit, betrayal and death, yet you wish to know its dark and bloody history because you quote unquote _, have been told to not leave a single detail out._ Since you _must know,_ a man had to die in order for me to gain this map.” Riddle smirked. “Like I said Miss Granger, some things are better left undisturbed but the City of the Dead shall not.”

Hermione looked upset that she had been talked down like she was a naïve little girl. The same way the Purebloods in the Ministry looked down at her for her blood status and for her crusades for magical creatures to gain civil rights. How she hated it, but at the same time it motivated her to complete her goals and watch in satisfaction when she passed the many hurdles in her career.

It would be the same here too. She would show him to give her some respect.

The silence was deafening until a voice firmly said, “Don’t pick on Hermione.”

Riddle’s eyes moved to defiant emerald green eyes. He only lifted an eyebrow in amusement and a challenge.

Neither broke eye contact, making the silence stretch on and fill with heavy tension. To Harry, it felt kind of electrifying, and even though Tom Riddle gave off the aura of danger, charisma, and power, Harry was not afraid to stand up for his friends. Those icy grey-blue eyes felt like they were sucking him up, as if he was drowning in the ocean to never be found again and Harry struggled to not fall.

A throat clearing gained both their attentions.

“Let’s just try and get along okay?” Bill placated.

No one had to best friends but they should all act professionally around each other.

Riddle just gave a smirk and Harry a nod, before Riddle went back to his explanation about the plan to leave tomorrow morning. They would take a muggle ferry boat down the river to get close to the specific trail on the map, after that they would take horses saddled with their supplies to the hidden city. After the discussion, he assigned who would sleep in what suites sans Hermione since she would get her own room.

Bill and Moody were in one suite to the left of Riddle’s, Draco and Ron in one on the right - unfortunately, neither were happy with the arrangement - and Hermione by herself and in front of the three men’s suites, with Harry paired with Riddle.

Harry, honestly, didn’t know if he was feeling apprehensive to be in the same room as the man or excited at the same time and possibly learn something from the great curse-breaker. And the look he was getting from Riddle – which he couldn’t really name at the moment – wasn’t helping either. He hoped he hadn’t upset the man, before they even got the expedition started.

“I look forward to working with you Mr. Potter.” Riddle smiled charmingly before he went to his own bedroom within the suite when it was just the two of them inside.

Oh, Merlin, the pressure was now heaped on him. He hoped it wasn’t some kind of test to see how competent of a Curse-Breaker he was. Well, Harry was just going to have to show Tom Riddle that he was an excellent Curse-Breaker and wasn’t afraid to show what he could do.

And the way Riddle had been gazing at him was a bit unnerving.

Why was it always him?

Though, Harry hoped that he wouldn’t have any weird dreams tonight, he had enough on his plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comments, kudos, etc. I want to know what you guys think!


	3. Chapter 3

The early morning sun rises over the horizon, casting its rays over the desert, the Nile and cities of Egypt. The sun had only been in the sky for a few hours and already it was beginning to warm the city and its inhabitants and dissipate the coolness from the night before. Harry discretely casts a cooling charm and adjusts his hat to keep the sun from beating down on him. The group has all their luggage packed and shrunken in their pockets to make it easier on themselves as they wait for the time for the boat to take off.

People are bustling all around in the small port, as they board the boats, or depart form them. The crewmen yell to each in Arabic, making sure that they have the necessary equipment and that everything is running smoothly.

A few moments later, the group of wizards board the small ferry boat and place a few of their unshrunken bags and trunks in their cabins. It is smooth sailing from there on out with them mingling a little with a few of the other passengers. Harry and Draco sit at a small table and discuss what they might find at the new dig site, not mentioning anything that could seem suspicious to muggles.

Moody wore a fedora that covered his magical eye and a long trench coat to seem “inconspicuous” to the Muggles, though it he looked even more out of place than usual. Hermione was trying to get Ron to listen to all the interesting facts she had read about Ancient Egypt, though Ron was preoccupied with eating the snacks his mum had provided. Bill and Tom were in one of the suites, Harry last saw, more likely discussing about Hamanuptra.

The day passed leisurely and soon night had fallen.

Harry sat at a small table on deck, looking out at the dark movement from the Nile River, a few stars twinkling into the dark night. It all felt so familiar, as if he had gone on a small sailing trip down the Nile before, but that was impossible because this was the first time Harry had ever been to Egypt. The closer their destination became, the feeling of anticipation rose higher within Harry.

 

 

Tom entered onto the deck, intending to enjoy a brief moment of peace and quiet before the intense journey to Hamunaptra would begin. He spotted Harry Potter gazing at the few stars into the night, a perplexed look that was also full of anticipation. The young man was a bit interesting and Tom wanted to get to know him better.

After all, there was hardly anybody left that would stand up to him. There had been a few through out his life and career, however, they would all eventually bow into submission. Sure, Tom loved being on top - in fact, he relished it - but it becomes rather dull when everyone bows to every single whim without putting up a fight. 

And when they had had that battle of wills, Tom was beyond please that Harry Potter was on the team, instead of some other Apprentice. This trip was becoming more interesting as time wore on.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the one and only Tom Riddle.” A southern American voice calls from the left, bringing Tom from his musings.

Tom turned to find a familiar blonde haired Curse-Breaker that he had worked with in the past and his two buddies. A Mr. Daniels, Mr. Burns, and a Mr. Henderson. The three Americans and Ron Weasley, were all playing cards, a few Muggle British Pounds, American dollars and a few galleons are settled in the middle of the winning pile.

He knows for a fact that the Americans are all wizards because he can sense their magic and had worked with them on a few other digs in the past.

Although, dealing with them is definitely cause some headaches for him. Why did they have to be here at all times? 

“Would you like to play? We could use another player.” Weasley asks, though a little hesitantly, probably wondering if he’s overstepped a boundary.

“No thank you. I never gamble with money.” Tom smirks. “Only other people's lives.”

The Americans laugh and smile at Tom’s dark humor, not knowing that it wasn’t a joke. The youngest Weasley grins unsurely but Tom can practically see the thoughts of him being an under covered serial killer filtering through his brain. It also helped that the young man didn't really have an Occulemncy shields and that Tom was an excellent Legilimens.

“No? I bet you five hundred dollars that we’ll beat you to Hamunaptra before you do.” Daniels, challenged with a cocky grin.

“Oh! You guys are going there too?!” Ron exclaimed, before paling drastically and making his freckles stand out. “Oops, I mean, is it my turn to shuffle? I think it is.” Ron stammered as Tom had placed a firm grip on his shoulder, no doubt a reprimand for his loose tongue. Quickly, Ron grabbed the deck of cards from the nearest American and hastily began to shuffle.

Tom smiled charmingly at the three Americans, though it’s a bit sharp and dangerous. “Oh? Who said we were heading to Hamunaptra?”

Daniels only grinned in response. “A little birdy told me. So what do you say?”

Figuring that there is no point in lying about their destination, most likely do to the Americans over hearing him and Bill or from the younger Weasley couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“What makes you so confident that you’ll win?” Tom asked deceptively calm. 

“We got ourselves a man whose been there.” Daniels said smugly.

That was interesting. Tom had never heard of someone actually been to the City of the Dead and living to tell about it. Most would have jumped at the chance to be world known about their discovery, yet their “guide” had not. Tom would have to be extra cautious and keep an eye on the group of Americans, their guide sounded suspicious.

Tom smirked. “Deal.”

He would win.

Now to head to a young Mr. Potter.

 

 

“Enjoying the trip so far?” A deep voice questioned, faintly amused.

Harry jerked out of his thoughts to find Riddle standing across from him. Harry flushed at being caught so off guard. Riddle sat gracefully down in the empty seat and placing a brown duffel bag on top of the table. For a moment, the atmosphere was tense as Harry wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Harry finally answered.

Internally, he was wondering if Riddle was going to lecture him about what happened last night. Harry hoped not.

Awkward silence followed after, at least it was for Harry. Riddle was as cool as a cucumber. Loud laughs or conversations passed them by from the other passengers as their silence stretched on.

“So how long will the trip take on horseback before we get to the dig site?” Harry asked, trying to break the silence. He was quite excited to work on this big expedition. He just hoped he didn’t seem over eager.

Riddle said nothing for a few moments as he rolled open the duffel bag and Harry’s eyes widened at seeing all the Muggle guns placed inside. He heard that Tom Riddle was the best among his class back in Hogwarts and dark whispers had circled around how Riddle hated Muggles with a passion and believed that Wizards were far superior. Even some mentioning how he was a big supporter of Pureblood Ideals, even though he was a Half-Blood himself. 

But to see him actually carry a large bag full of muggle weapons made Harry wonder if those rumors were wrong.

“Are we really going to need all those guns?” Harry asked alarmed.

“One should always be prepared for the unexpected.” Riddle stated as he began loading a few revolvers and handguns and making sure the safety was on before placing them back in the bag. “During my career as a Curse-Breaker and an Archeologist, I have come across many tombs enchanted to nullify magic to a certain extent, not enough to be powerless but enough to cause strain on the Wizard when he can’t access his core. It's like fighting with no arms. I’ve learned to use the unexpected that Wizards thousands of years ago, would have never imagined.”

“I see. Do any of your previous teams know how to use guns?”

Riddle snorted, which somehow still managed to sound elegant to Harry. “Now they do. It was quite a task just to get even the so called Light Purebloods to even get used to the idea that muggles were no longer in the Middle Ages as they believed them to be.”

Harry grinned at the thought. It would have been amusing to see the Purebloods learn and try and handle a gun. They would be appalled and in denial about how far muggles have advanced compared to Wizards in some areas.

“Until I managed to show how dangerous and handy a muggle gun could be, did they finally and reluctantly learn to handle them. There were a few close calls but now all members of any of my teams are extremely proficient with both their wands and weapons.” Riddle boasted.

“Well hopefully, the curses aren’t too horrible but I hardly doubt it.” Harry joked, easing the tension between them.

Riddle just gave a half smile that made him look even more handsome. “Well, I wouldn’t get our hopes up.”

A squeak interrupted their conversation, gaining both Harry and Riddle’s attention to an area full of hay stacks. Riddle placed a finger to his lips, indicating for Harry to be silent. Quietly, Riddle moved towards where they saw a shadow cowering behind the large sacks of hay for the horses aboard and raised a revolver he had grabbed before. As fast as a striking snake, Riddle grabbed the suspect by the collar, bringing them forth between Harry and Tom.

“Well, look what we have here.” Tom smiled dangerously. “A rat among us. It’s been so long Wormtail. I owe you for the last time.”

The man paled drastically at the dark visage of Tom Riddle.

“Riddle, my dear friend.”

“Wormtail!?”

The pudgy and balding man that looked more rat than man, and Riddle turned to a surprised and gaping Harry Potter. Though it didn’t last long because soon there was nothing but pure hatred upon the young man’s face, emerald green eyes ablaze and both Riddle and Wormtail likened the color to the Killing Curse. Before Riddle had a chance to ask Harry how he knew the slippery rat, Harry punched the pudgy man hard in the face. The force behind the punch was so strong, the pudgy man was almost knocked out of Riddle’s grip.

“That’s for betraying my parents!” Harry growled.

A second punch came soon after.

“And that’s for Sirius!”

Wormtail just whimpered in pain, fearful of the son of his former best friends.

“Looks like I’m not the only person you’ve pissed off.” Riddle smiled darkly. “What’s a spineless little coward doing on this boat I wonder?”

“Oh, please Riddle. I’m just enjoying a vacation.” Wormtail said warily.

Both Harry and Riddle scoffed at the pathetic man. Harry was so tempted to just torture the worthless scum within an inch of his life before sending him to the authorities back in England.

“How can you be on vacation when technically you’re a dead man?” Harry spat. “I say we alert the proper authorities.”

“Unfortunately, things are tense between the Egyptian and British Ministries, so they probably wouldn’t do anything about a supposed dead man out of spite.” Tom informed.

“Bloody Fudge ruining everything.” Harry growled. Giving one last deadly glare to the trembling coward, Harry hissed, “Fine. I’m going to the room. If I keep looking at the coward I might start torturing him. Muggles be damned.”

Harry stormed off, leaving Riddle and Peter Pettigrew standing alone.

Tom would admit that Harry was a bit intriguing and the fire in his brilliant greens eyes had no words to describe them, it was an exhilarating feeling. However, Tom understood the reason for Harry's sour mood. Peter Pettigrew, the former best friend to Sirius Black, James Potter and Remus Lupin, the betrayer of the Potters to the Dark Lord Abraxas Malfoy, was here in flesh and blood but getting him to the proper authorities would be slim to none.  

“Unfortunately for you, it may have been better to be given to the authorities than what I plan on doing to you for last time.” Tom grinned darkly. “I bet you’re the one leading the Americans to Hamunaptra. Give me one good reason why I should be merciful because I’m just eager to try out some very ancient dark curses.”

“Please don’t kill me.” Peter cried. “What about my children?”

Tom sneered. “You don’t have any children.”

“Someday I might.” Peter sniffed pitifully.

Tom scoffed. _IF_ the rat managed to have any children, Tom would have to quit his career and live as a hermit.

“So do you plan to take the Americans to the middle of the desert and then abandon them there like you did with my team the first and last time we met?” Tom questioned.

Peter frowned. “Unfortunately, no. These Americans are smart. They made me give them an Unbreakable Vow to lead them straight to Hamunaptra and pay me the other half of my money once we get back to Cairo.”

Tom just smirked and condescendingly stated, “I bet that just bothers you.”

“Doesn’t matter Riddle, I’ve actually been there. So I know that we’ll beat you to the city.” Peter smiled smugly.

Tom only raised an eyebrow, dragged Peter to the rail and gave a sharp smile. “Goodbye Wormtail. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and you’ll drown.”

Peter’s eyes widened as he was suddenly thrown over the rail.

Tom would have cursed and tortured Peter until he truly learned that no one crossed Tom Riddle and left unscathed. Unfortunately, the Statue of Secrecy was of highest importance for the Wizarding World and Tom did not want to have to deal with both the British and Egyptian Ministries of Magic because he couldn’t hold himself back from using magic in front of Muggles. Tom also didn’t want to add tension between the two ministries and the rest of the world either.

He should probably go and check on Harry to make sure he wouldn’t let his anger get the best of him.

Tom was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed a figure shrouded in black, sneaking onto the boat and carefully glanced around, though not careful enough to see Tom crouching near a table watching as the figure headed towards the inside of the boat. Soon a few more cloaked figures boarded and Tom narrowed his eyes at the intruders. There wasn’t anything of value except maybe some jewelry or money from the Muggle passengers and the only wizards on board were his group and the Americans.

Tom was no Gryffindor, he was a Slytherin through and through but he would follow, knowing that something unpleasant was most likely to happen.

And whether it would somehow involve him or the others in his group was another matter.

He packed up the bag full of guns and discreetly kept his hand ready to thrust his wand from its holster to his hand. The journey was becoming slightly interesting now, but he would have preferred for all the excitement to wait until they had actually gotten to Hamunaptra.

Now it was time to see if those cloaked figures were going to be a problem.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos, etc. 
> 
> I'm glad that you're all enjoying the story so far!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen the beautiful artwork for this story, I recommend going to the first chapter to check it out!

 

Harry stormed into the cabin he would be sharing with Ron and Draco. Thankfully, they weren’t in the room at the moment. His emotions were running high and magic literally swirling around him, making the items in the room tremble as if they were in fear. He had never even thought that he would meet his parents’ betrayer here in Egypt of all places.

To think that that no good rat had been living in relative peace, knowing that the Potters were dead, Sirius locked away in Azkaban and Remus too wrapped up in his grief to find anything strange about the situation and no one would question anything. And now here Peter was on the same bloody boat.

He needed to calm down. Destroying part of the boat was not going to do anything except cause problems for everyone on board and the obliviators.

After a few moments, Harry sat down at the small table placed within the room and saw that the map to Hamunaptra was just sitting there on the table. He was surprised to see it there as he was sure that Riddle would have placed it somewhere safe and in his own room. It was likely Bill and Tom had used the map to discuss backup strategies with Ron in case of emergencies. Ron was a great tactician and his input was probably really beneficial.

Harry carefully traced the map, frowning in thought as he felt he had seen this before. But that wasn’t possible, he’d never seen this parchment before now. His fingers traced a symbol in the far left corner, a symbol that was also vaguely familiar.

 

 

**_€This is the map to Hamunaptra. Isn’t it magnificent, my love?€_ **

_Green eyes look up to the Pharaoh standing next to him before tracing the path and the Pharaoh’s official seal with his fingers. The map was beautiful with its color and design, yet functional for the priests to be able to find their way to Hamunaptra._

**_€The city truly exists then?€_ ** _Apun-Busiris asks intrigued._

_Only Pharaohs were rumored to have their burials there along with the wealth of Egypt. The commoners always speculated if it was real or not and often gossiping what kind of enchantment the Magi had placed on the city for protection._

**_€Indeed it does.€_ ** _A voice behind them states, making the Pharaoh and his catamite turn to see Imhotep walking towards them._

 **_€Ah, Imhotep, my priest.€_ ** _The Pharaoh smiles. **€I was showing my young lover where his body will be buried when the time comes. By my side.€** Pharaoh holds his lover close, a pleased grin upon his face._

_Apun-Busiris gives a false smile to the Pharaoh before turning his green eyes to Imhotep. Their eyes lock and it is like everything has disappeared, with only them in the room. Apun-Busiris can see the deep love and possession Imhotep holds for him and gives a quick smile to the man he loves before turning back to the map._

 

 

Harry gasps in surprise, looking around frantically, confirming that he was still in the room.

Running a hand through his hair, Harry thinks that that latest vision or whatever it was, was so real that he finds himself a little perturbed. Usually, he wouldn’t get any of those dreams while he was awake but ever since they arrived in Egypt, something kept gnawing at him. Something important but he didn’t know what.

Sighing in frustration from his earlier encounter with Peter Pettigrew and with the constant visions he dreams at night, Harry was ready to just head to bed early and hope that tomorrow would be better.

Harry carefully folded the map and placed it and the puzzle box key within his trunk, locking it tight.

The room window was wide open and Harry closed it, to give the room more privacy. Deciding it would be best for him to turn in early, Harry grabbed some of his needed toiletries.

Finishing, with his nighttime routine, Harry moved towards his trunk in order to grab some comfortable sleep clothes.

After changing into an old white t-shirt and some basketball shorts, Harry noticed that the window was wide open, even though he remembered closing it earlier. Keeping his wand handy, Harry cautiously moved towards the window, even though the window was the size about a person’s head, so he wasn’t too worried about a muggle sneaking in or anything, but it never hurt to be vigilant.

Like Moody was always saying, “Constant Vigilance”.

From what he could see, nobody was on the other side of the window and assumed he hadn’t closed it all the way. This time Harry made sure it was fairly shut and locked. He relaxed his grip on his wand.

Unfortunately, he let his guard down to early.

Harry was grabbed from behind and something sharp placed at his neck. He assumed it was some kind of knife.

“Where is the map? The key?” A rough gravely voice hissed.

“The map boy! Where is it?!”

Harry thought quickly. “It’s not here. I put it back in the other room. It belongs to my boss.”

“That map belongs to know one but us.” The man hissed.

Statue of Secrecy be damned, he wasn’t going to let this muggle think he had him trembling in fear. Using all his strength, Harry elbowed the man hard in the gut then hitting him in the face with his fist, quickly moving away from his captor. The man yelped in pain and Harry casted a tripping jinx on the man, making him bump into the table and knock over the candle onto the floor. Harry quickly shrunk his trunk and pocketed it before his assailant could recover.

The man recovered when three more cloaked figures entered the room, guns aimed and ready.

Harry quickly concluded that these men were most likely muggles as wizards would have immediately drawn their wands.

Well, this wouldn’t take long.

Silently, Harry threw a couple of _Stupefy_ ’s to knock out his attackers, who all immediately dropped down onto the floor in the room. However, his victory was short lived when the fire and smoke from the burning candle began to fill the space. As quickly as he could, Harry shrunk and pocketed Ron’s and Draco’s things, before he headed out the door.

“Harry!”

Harry saw Riddle run towards him, wand ready to aim and incapacitate any assailants to come their way. Green eyes widened at the large smoke and fire blazing all around the boat. He didn’t think a tiny candle flame would cause so much damage so fast!

“We have to find the others!” Harry yelled concerned.

“Harry!”

Both Tom and Harry turned to find Hermione, Ron and Draco running towards them, with Moody and Bill knocking the men in black overboard.

“My stuff!!” Ron and Draco yelled in panic, seeing the fire blazing outside the room door.

“Don’t worry!” Harry said. “They’re both in my pocket!”

“We need to get off this boat!” Bill yelled, rushing towards them, Moody right behind.

The group nods and heads to the railing.

“Wait!” Hermione panics, all her items still located in her room. “My luggage! My books!”

"Forget it. Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione wasn't having it.

"Accio moleskin bag!" she yelled.

Bill managed to grab ahold of her, steering her back towards the railing. “Forget it Hermione! The fire is already too strong!”

Just as quickly, the small pouch zoomed through the fire unscathed and right into Hermione's awaiting hand.

It didn’t take long for the group to get away from the burning rooms and towards the railing with most of the screaming passengers were already jumping overboard in order to survive.

“Yahoo!” A familiar voice exclaims, catching the groups’ attention. They turned to see the American wizards, casting spells like it was some kind of game, large grins upon their faces. “Yeehaw!”

“Bloody Americans.” Moody complained disgusted, earning nods of consensus from the others.

It irked the Veteran Auror that they thought it was some sort of game going on instead of the seriousness that it required. If they were under his guidance, he’d have whipped them into shape as soon as possible. And what did they think they were doing?! We’re they trying to break the Statute of Secrecy?!

Of course, dealing with the Americans’ deplorable behavior could be dealt with at another time.

“Everybody jump!” Tom yelled, easily picking up a surprised Harry bridal style and throwing him overboard with himself following suit.

The others were quick to follow, along with the other passengers on the boat. Somehow, the horses managed to find a way off the burning boat with men grabbing onto them and bringing them to the opposite side of the river that Harry and the group went to. Once onto the bank, they checked to make sure everyone was accounted for and not seriously injured. Thankfully, they were just soaking wet.

“Hey Riddle!” A voice called out.

They turned to find Wormtail – who Bill, Hermione, Draco and Ron didn’t know who he was except Moody – smiling smugly at them from the other side of the river.

“Looks like we’ve got all the horses!” he mocked.

Riddle turned and mocked right back, “Hey Wormtail! Looks like you’re on the wrong side of the river!”

A smug and dark grin appeared when he saw Wormtail stop and think before realizing that he was right. Wormtail scowled and stomped away, no doubt trying to salvage what little dignity that rat had to begin with. Riddle’s victory was short lived from an anguish cry from behind.

“Oh, my clothes! My books!” Hermione whined. “What am I going to do!?”

“We’ll have to go to the nearby city and buy some necessities. Some kind of transportation too.” Bill suggested. “It’s the only thing we can do. It’s a shame that the map and puzzle box were lost to us.”

Riddle scowled in thought of two valuable artifacts burned to a crisp.

“Oh. I put those in my trunk for safe keeping.” Harry mentioned offhandedly as he wrung water from his clothes, not noticing everyone’s surprised looks.

“How did you have time to put them in your trunk?!” Hermione exclaimed.

“They were in the room Ron, Draco and I were supposed to share, so I just put them there until we actually needed them, before the whole fire fiasco.” Harry answered distractedly. As such, he didn’t notice Riddle moving forward before grabbing his collar, turning him around, thus, surprising Harry with the action.

“Wha-?”

“Show me right now.” Riddle demanded.

“Geez, okay! All you had to do was ask nicely.” Harry said, quickly grabbing his trunk from his pocket – thankfully it didn’t float away when they were in the river – enlarging it and calling the two items into his hand. “There! See! There are perfectly fine!”

Riddle stared at the two objects for only a moment. They were dry and unharmed as far as he could tell and Riddle removed his grip to place his hands on Harry’s shoulder, before stating dead serious, “You’re perfect.”

Everyone gaped.

“W-what?”

“Do you know how hard it is for me to find competent people in this line of work? Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who knows how to use their brain, but you have just shown me that I am not the only one.” Riddle stated. “Not only are you attractive, but your head isn't an empty space I often had to deal with in people. I could kiss you right now.”

Harry nearly choked from shock, along with everyone else who was watching the scene.

 _The_ _Tom_ _Riddle_ was saying that he wanted to kiss _him!?_

“But that’ll have to wait for another time.” Riddle continued, turning to face the rest of the group. “There should be a small city nearby where we can restock our supplies. Then we’ll head straight to our destination.”

“I doubt many places would be open at this time of night.” Bill informed. “We should find an Inn and restock in the morning.”

“Weasley’s right.” Moody gruffly agreed. “We’re in a foreign country and it wouldn’t be safe to move around at night.”

Riddle looked to the tired and drenched group and decided that it would be better for everyone to be well rested for the long journey.

“Very well.” Riddle agreed, before turning towards the path of civilization.

“Well? Don’t dawdle.” He barked out, startling the rest of the group into moving.

 

 

The morning sun was already blazing by the time the group was ready to head out on their journey. They had headed out earlier to buy food and necessities for the trip and some new clothes for Hermione. Currently, the group was waiting for their means of transportation.

“I asked for six horses! Not camels you bloody fool!” Moody yelled loudly, with the other man yelling back in his native language and beginning to cause a scene.

“Just pay the bloody man already!” Riddle demanded.

Every second wasted, was a second those Americans could get to Hamunaptra first and steal _his_ dig site.

Moody grumbled but paid the man his due. Everyone wore hats and dressed in light clothing that covered their bodies but would prevent them from getting sunburned. Along with casting some cooling charms on themselves.

“We have to ride these smelly things?” Draco whined quietly to himself, though earning a grin from Harry. It was true that they were stinky but at least they knew that camels were made for these kind of climates.

“Hurry up. We don’t have time for dawdling.” Riddle barked out, climbing up to sit upon his camel.

“Charming bloke.” Ron muttered, earning a light smile from Bill.

The group began their long journey through the hot desert, the sun blaring down on them, the hot humid air making them sweat and thirsty, along with recasting cooling charms every couple of minutes and the uncomfortable sitting position of being a camel for hours long, took its toll on them, but they continued on. They mostly filled the silence with meaningless chatter about school days or work, occasionally getting on topics about previous dig sites Riddle had excavated.

The desert nights were cool, almost uncomfortably so compared to the blazing heat only hours before. Most of the group was asleep, Ron sitting slumped backwards with his head tilting dangerously back and snoring loudly, almost echoing in the large desert. Somehow Moody was still awake, magical eye constantly on the move, even though they’re hadn’t been any danger since they started their journey. Draco, Hermione and Bill were asleep, both of their heads were the opposite of Ron’s and facing downwards on their chests.

Harry took a drink of water from his canteen, glad to finally be out of the sun, though it was pretty funny to see Ron sleeping weirdly.

“How long do you think until we reach Hamunaptra?” Harry asked.

Riddle hummed in thought. “Probably another day’s journey. We’ve been making pretty good progress. I just want to make sure we get their first before the Americans. In fact, you should sleep, at least for a few hours because the heat will become unbearable for a nap during the day.”

Harry gave a small smile and closed his eyes. He didn’t really want to sleep even though he was dead tired but then Riddle and everyone else would ask questions on why he didn’t want to sleep. Harry must have been more tired than he thought because it what felt like no time at all, sleep had consumed him.

 

 

_Bright green eyes cautiously gazed around the hallway for any guards or servants. Seeing none, Apun-Busiris left the room his new lover, the Pharaoh had gifted him. He still couldn’t believe that he was now living in luxury at the palace, when only weeks ago, he had been an orphan working in the fields with his relatives. Somehow he had managed to capture the Pharaoh’s attention, when he had gone to the market and stood with the rest of the crowd when Pharaoh had passed by in his golden chariot._

_The Pharaoh had stated that Apun-Busiris’ beautiful and rare green eyes and beauty had captured his heart._

_Now he was one of Pharaoh’s prized possessions._

_Apun-Busiris thought it was strange for him to not see a guard or servant, like usual, as he went to explore the castle. Though he was relieved to not have to have their suspicious stares follow his person. Or their lustful ones._

**_€What is Pharaoh’s newest possession doing out of its cage?€_ **

_Apun- Busiris spun around - instantly on guard - to find a tall handsome man he had never seen before standing a good distance away. He wore dark robes of a High Priest, his torso bared for all to see. The handsome man wore a smirk as he slowly gazed at Apun-Busiris’ body appreciatively._

**_€I’m not a possession! Not even the Pharaoh’s.€_ ** _The teen hissed._

_He hated being treated like he was some object that people could lust after. He was a person too!_

_The man only chuckled amusedly. **€Careful to not let anyone hear that. Especially the Pharaoh.€**_

_The teen narrowed his green eyes and frowned. Suddenly, a larger hand gripped his own tightly and the teen was surprised to be dragged in a different direction than he had planned on going. Anpu-Busiris struggled to be free, even try to dig his feet to the palace floor to make it harder for the man to drag him somewhere._

_He made his displeasure known, but the man was a lot stronger than he looked._

_Soon however, they reached the destination the man had planned and Apun-Busiris stopped struggling to stare in amazement at the scene in front of him. They had entered into a room – probably a guest room or the man’s own quarters – and now he was standing upon a balcony gazing at the sun set and its rays shining upon the Nile and City._

**_€Beautiful.€_ ** _Apun-Busiris whispered in awe._

_It was like he could take the golden sun and hold it in his hands._

**_€Isn’t it?€_ ** _The man’s deep baritone voice brought the teen out of his thoughts._

_Apun-Busiris scowled to himself and inwardly berated himself for letting his guard down in front of a man he didn’t know._

**_€No need to scowl, you’re much more beautiful when you smile€_ ** _The man teased._

_Apun-Busiris couldn’t help the light flush upon his olive skin._

**_€Alas, I must return to the temple. I hope to see you again.€_ ** _The man smiled charmingly before he left the teen by himself._

_The green eyed teen doubted he would see much of the man. It wasn’t like they would be seeing each other any time soon._

_It wasn’t until he was relaxing in his private rooms that Apun-Busiris realized that the man had not told him his name._

 

 

"Harry!”

Harry startled awake and groaned from the uncomfortable position of sleeping sitting up and on a camel. He blinked his eyes a couple of time to get used to the bright sunlight.

“Morning.” Harry muttered, the desert heat already beginning to make them sweat.

Hermione smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about the rude awakening. I just thought you would have wanted to wake up about now before your body gets sore.”

“It’s fine Mione. No harm done.” Harry reassured.

Everyone else looked like they slept as well as he had, which wasn’t much. Riddle was the only still looking impeccable and wide awake. Harry was secretly envious of the man’s perfect appearance. The day’s journey continued on the same as before, although, they did have a bit of a water fight to keep themselves cool from the heat.

Day turned into night, and for awhile, Harry and Tom chatted about inconsequential things, like Hogwarts, hobbies, books, and spells, before Harry once again had fallen asleep quickly. Only this time he didn’t remember what he dreamed. Either he was so tired he hadn’t dreamed at all or it was one of those dreams he couldn’t remember.

It was minutes just before dawn, he had been woken up. It was like something inside of him knew that they were very close to their destination. Immediately, he could see the large group with the Americans, their hired help and Wormtail trotting with their horses from the opposite direction.

It was a standstill when the two groups met, both turning to face the seemingly empty desert.

“Remember our bet, Riddle. 500 American dollars to whoever can get to Hamunaptra first.” Daniels reminded.

Riddle only smirked and patted his camels head.

Hamunaptra was just within their reach now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments kudos, etc! Constructive criticism is also appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

 

**Hamunaptra – July, 23, 1999**

“I don’t see anything except sand.” Draco complained loudly.

“Me too!” Ron agreed grumpily, though that may have been because of bad sleep and little food, because he would never purposely agree with Malfoy on anything, even if it was true.

“Oh, just wait and see.” Wormtail explained excitedly. “Just keep you’re gaze straight ahead.”

Wormtail must have been much too excited for what was soon to happen to realize that he was sharing information with his supposed “enemies”.

The two groups watched as the sun rose over the horizon, golden red-orange rays shining brightly, engulfing the desert with its colors and banishing the last bit of darkness.

Harry and quite a few others, rose a hand to shield the sun’s rays from their vision. As they continued to watch, a large wall of stone seemed to miraculously appear as the sun rose higher into the sky. Soon, the ruins of Hamunaptra became visible for all to see.

For a moment, the groups just gazed in awe at the legendary city that they just within their reach.

The unspoken dare is prominently hanging in the air as the ruins lay just among the horizon, tempting the two groups with its tales of treasure and hidden secrets.

“Yah! Yah!” Daniels’ cries, urging his horse to move towards Hamunaptra.

The movement and cry broke the trance the ruins of Hamunaptra had placed on everyone and getting the two groups to race. Even though the Americans managed to get a head start, Riddle and the others quickly caught up, even surpassing those on horses and surprising them with how fast camels could really run.

“Yahoo!” Ron exclaimed.

“Whoa!” Draco and Hermione exclaimed.

Harry laughed and smiled as he urged his camel to go faster, easily surpassing all but Riddle and Daniels, who were only just up ahead. It wasn’t anything like riding a broom, the ride was quite bumpy, but it still gave him a sense of freedom. Before he knew it, Harry had caught up with the two men ahead.

However, the camels proved to be faster animals than they appeared to be as both Harry and Riddle passed the American wizard.

Harry turned to see Riddle smirking at him and Harry smiled widely, pure joy upon his face until it turned to complete surprise when his camel sped up even more and became first in the group. Thus, not noticing the amused smile upon the older man’s face.

“Whoa!” Harry exclaimed.

“Yeah! Go Harry!” Ron exclaimed.

In no time at all, Harry reached Hamunaptra first. He managed to get his camel to slow down just as he entered the city ruins before stopping completely.

Harry gazed in awe at the ruins. True, they weren’t much to most people – just a bunch of destroyed buildings, sand in every crevasse to be seen, and nothing too magnificent to gaze upon – but Harry couldn’t help but be excited at the prospective of archeological items they might find. What was no doubt a once beautiful city, now was a bunch of ruins that seemed to sink into the ground. As little by little, the sands of time and the desert had planned to bury Hamunaptra for all eternity.

Nevertheless, the city of the dead was a gold mine of information for archeologists and Curse-Breakers around the world.

“Way to go Harry! We beat those Yanks!” Ron exclaimed, bringing Harry out of his amazement and turning to find practically everyone now in the city ruins.

“That was awesome Harry!” Bill praised.

“Really, now. You could’ve gotten hurt! You need to be more careful Harry!” Hermione admonished but they were mostly half-hearted in their heat, as everyone could see the mirth in her eyes.

“As much as I am pleased to see that we were first to reach Hamunaptra,” Tom began, “I would like to mark our side of the dig site so that none of the Americans would dare to try and steal any treasures we may find.”

“Yeah! Time to find us some mountains of gold!” Ron rubbed his hands excitedly.

“Hah! You better hope you’ll find it Weasel, you’ll need it.” Draco smirked.

“What’d you say ferret?!” Ron growled.

“Stop it both of you!” Moody ordered. “Weasley, were here as escorts and we must act professional at all times. Understand?”

Ron sulked, before straightening up from Moody’s fierce glare. “Yes sir!”

Immediately, the two groups set up their tents, and brought out their digging tools and brandished their wands to get everything set up and moving. Bill easily waved his wand to set up the Weasley Family tent that he had borrowed from his parents for the time being. Quickly, everyone was designated rooms and placed their items inside before getting ready to work.

After setting up camp, their first priority was to find an entrance or entrances for them to visit the underground tunnels and tombs laying just beneath the surface.

Harry and Riddle quickly found a large crack in the ground near some half standing pillars, and carefully excavated the area, removing sand and unstable debris, in order for them to enter. They still checked for any curses or magical residue within the foundations just in case, but there was nothing dangerous - so far. The group carefully climbed down into the small empty chamber, carefully stepping on the fallen pieces of ruble that allowed them to descend down into a small chamber.

Hermione, Ron, Draco and Moody kept their wands lit as the Curse-Breakers began to inspect the walls for any hidden doors or curses.

“Wow, look at all these Hieroglyphics!” Hermione whispered excitedly.

“Hey! What’s with these giant mirrors? I didn’t think they had this stuff back then.” Ron pointed to a few giants mirrors placed through the chamber.

Bill smiled. “The Ancient Egyptians were very intuitive. They used something natural and created items to help them when needed.”

Hermione nodded. “It’s true. The mirror we know and use wasn’t invented until 1835 but the first mirrors were created around 600 B.C but instead of glass like we see today, they used obsidian. Eventually, they starting using other metals like gold, silver, bronze and copper. However, these mirrors were mostly for show and only the wealthy could purchase them.”

“I see you’ve done quite a bit of research Miss Granger.” Riddle said.

Harry smiled proudly. “There has hardly been a book that our Hermione hasn’t read yet. She wasn’t called the brightest witch of our age for nothing.”

Hermione lightly blushed but smiled at Harry’s unwavering support.

Bill carefully dusted away the spider webs on a mirror that had been stationed near the hole they had entered.

“And then there was light.” Bill said, lifting the mirror to face the sun.

They grouped watched impressed as the sunlight refracted to each mirror and lighting up the entire chamber. There wasn’t anything remotely interesting besides the Hieroglyphics on the wall, spider webs in every nook and cranny and sand.

“Oh wow!” Hermione gasped! “We’re in a preparation room!”

“This is where they made mummies?” Draco questioned.

“Yes. Can you believe were standing in a room that hasn’t been used in over three thousand years?” Hermione gushed.

“Alright,” Tom began. “Nothing of importance will be here so we will continue to move forward and we will find the treasure before the other group could even lay their hands on it, understood?”

Everyone nodded.

“Excellent. For now, Bill, Harry and I will began excavating, while the rest of you continue to set up camp and find any potential areas before the Americans.” Tom ordered, before giving a smirk. “Oh. And if you happen to stumble upon any dig sites that our _friends_ have found, perhaps an innocent look around would be beneficial to us and feel free to _entertain_ them as you look around.”

Draco and Moody smirked in amusement, though the latter looked like some scary monster, while Hermione slightly frowned – no doubt her morals conflicting with her desire to have their team find the treasure first – while Ron just grinned at all the pranks he could throw at the other group. He may not particularly like Slytherins and their sneaky ways, but for this, Ron was going to allow an exception.

He was always up for a good pranking.

“Harry or I will send a patronus if anything happens.” Bill said after.

The group nodded in understanding and headed back out.

The three Curse-Breakers had traveled deeper into the underground city, walking through various hallways and deciphering some of the Hieroglyphics for any clues to the treasure. Unfortunately, most of the walls were filled with stories of the Pharaohs and their achievements and the Judgment of the souls that met with Osiris.

So far not even a hint of the treasure but they didn’t waver.

Harry kept his wand alight as Riddle and Bill were the most experience in handling these kinds of expeditions and had him be back up.

There had almost been an incident when Harry had found a wall with blue green beetles embedded into it. He thought they were quite beautiful and wanted to take some to show the others. Fortunately, Riddle had stopped him just in time, explaining that those beetles were man eating bugs that they would seal inside with condemned criminals in their sarcophagus and it was best to not touch them.

Harry inwardly berated himself. He should’ve known better to touch unknown things at random! He was a Curse-Breaker, not some doe eyed tourist! He was going to be better! His career was on the line!

“Hey Tom! Come check this out!” Bill called out.

Riddle and Harry moved to wear Bill was standing near a wall, a light upon his wand.

The wall was different form all the others, as there seemed to be some kind of map painted onto the walls. The three Curse-Breakers gazed at the images in curiosity. There were various temples that had a three different artifacts placed above them.

“I wonder if this is a map to find those lost artifacts.” Harry questioned a little excitedly.

“It’s highly possible.” Bill answered. “The Ancient Egyptians probably never thought that anyone would find Hamunaptra thus they placed this map here for safe keeping.”

“We’ll come back to decipher this map later. I still want to cover more ground before nightfall.” Tom said.

The other two nodded and proceeded further on.

Hermione researched through all of her books as she deciphered the Hieroglyphics still visible upon the pillars and ruins. She was fascinated by all the history and culture of the ancient civilization. The book also helped to hide behind as she covertly gazed over it to see how Ron and Draco were doing with their own research since they all had finished making camp earlier.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the Egyptologist traveling with the Americans. The man thought that he was a genius compared to the rest of them.

And with the nerve to say that because she was a woman, she shouldn’t be in this line of work! She wanted to hex him into oblivion! However, she knew with Tom Riddle on their team, they would outsmart that Egyptologist, the Americans and find Hamunaptra’s hidden treasure!

She had managed to overhear – with the Twin’s extendable ears – and learn that they had      found the feet of the Statue of Anubis, where a possible treasure lay buried beneath. Hermione smirked at the tidbit of information and couldn’t wait to inform Bill and Harry.

Making sure she was out of sight from the opposing group, Hermione produced her otter Patronus and quickly sent it to the others with her information. She quickly went back to work and to find any kind of hints to what they were looking for.

She worked diligently for another hour until Harry’s stag patronus, Prongs, pranced towards her.

“Hermione, bring the others. We may have found something.” Harry’s voice emitted from Prongs before it disappeared.

Excitedly, Hermione placed her book back inside her moleskin bag and quickly grabbed Ron and Draco and informed Moody that they were all needed underground. The small group reentered into the city and found Harry waiting for them and had them quickly follow him. It seemed to take a few minutes of them moving down various hallways and turns until they found Bill and Riddle carefully but quickly breaking apart the ceiling.

“I always thought treasure was buried in the ground.” Ron joked.

Riddle and Bill just smirked while everyone else smiled.

“Well technically the ceiling _is_ the ground for the upper level.” Bill said. “We should be directly under the Statue of Anubis right now.”

“And we’re going to steal the treasure right from under those Yanks noses!” Harry exclaimed.

Riddle smirked. “Indeed. Ms. Granger did an excellent job of letting us know what the Yanks were doing.”

Ron rubs his hands together in glee, while Draco smiles with smugness and Hermione preens under the praise from one of the best Curse-Breakers in the world. Everyone was excited to find some treasure.

After removing most of the ceiling, something heavy fell down startling everyone.

Clearly, they had not expected for anything to fall and stood frozen for some moments.

“What the bloody hell was that!?” Moody growled.

“It looks to be a sarcophagus.” Harry answered.

“But why would a sarcophagus be buried here of all places?” Hermione questioned.

Everyone quickly surrounded the sarcophagus with Hermione and the others casting a Lumos for Riddle and Bill to take a closer look. They noticed that this sarcophagus wasn’t lavishly designed like other sarcophagus that had been excavated of previous pharaohs and high ranking Egyptians. It had just the bare minimum and seemed to be more of a prison in design.

“He must have been someone to be of great importance to be buried here.” Hermione breathed in awe.

“Or he did something very naughty.” Bill countered grimly.

“Well there’s only one way to find out.” Riddle said. He moved closer to search for a name or description of whoever was buried inside.

Minutes passed as Riddle translated the Hieroglyphs etched onto the sarcophagus.

“Well, who is it?” Moody asked, breaking the silence.

“He Who Shall Not Be Named.” Riddle read aloud.

This raised a few eyebrows and surprised looks. Sure it was common to not know who was buried in a tomb, but for the Ancient Egyptians to purposely leave out the person’s name was a huge deal.

The person inside must have done something unforgivable to be denied his name for the afterlife.

“It looks like the sarcophagus is sealed shut. It could take weeks before you guys can open it.” Draco said.

Hermione agreed, easily taking notes on their findings on a notebook she had immediately taken out from her bag. “It looks like it needs some kind of star shaped key. And no doubt the Ancient Egyptians had placed dark curses on this so no one could open. Especially if this person was meant to never to be found.”

Harry brightened. “A key! That’s it! It must be that puzzle box!”

Riddle and Bill immediately caught on to what Harry is saying and nodded in agreement.

“Of course.” Riddle half-smirked. “The person I acquired the objects from mentioned that they were supposedly from Hamunaptra before they landed in his greedy little hands.”

“We should—“

Before he could finish, multiple screams echoed above them from the giant hole in the ceiling where the statue of Anubis stood above them.

Moody grinned darkly, making his face even more disfigured and gave everyone an ominous vibe. "Sounds like the fun is beginning."

Harry secretly hoped that his famous Potter Luck had the decency to stay back in England because he didn't want to have to deal with unnecessary stress or people or things trying to kill him.

If only Fate could leave Her Chosen One in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos, etc. Constructive criticism is also welcome.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> Thanks for everyone who has read, kudoed, and bookmarked this or any of my stories! It Ames me happy that people really enjoy what I write. :D


	6. Chapter 6

**S **ame time as Harry and Co.****

Peter watched closely as the Americans ordered their helpers to dig into the ground, trying to reach the feet of Anubis where a supposedly priceless book lay. Now Peter wasn’t one for superstition – well, maybe half of him was very superstitious when it came to his line of work – but honestly, the City of Hamunaptra had always given him the creeps. Ever since his first step into the city a few years after he had fled England after that fateful Halloween Night, Peter instinctively knew _something_ was here.

Inwardly he wished that these Americans hadn’t been so smart to only pay him half, unlike the other poor souls – a majority of them Muggles – he had swindled out of money and left them to die in the dessert. Sure, he _wasn’t proud_ of what he’s done but he had to make a living somehow. Although he had never expected Tom Riddle to make it back alive after he had incapacitated the entire group, or have his former best friends’ son here in Egypt.

Fate sure was getting back at him because now, there were two people would be out for his head.

He just wanted to hurry and find the gold so they could finally leave this place.    

Every minute they stayed in the city, Peter couldn’t help but constantly look over his shoulder as there seemed be a Darkness lingering within the walls.

He knew that in Ancient times, all types of magic was practiced with only a few exceptions that were completely banned or highly regulated because of the danger, but Peter really wanted to hurry and find the mythical treasure and get out of here as soon as possible.

“There! The feet of Anubis!” The Egyptologist exclaimed, brushing some sand away in a few crevices that look like they could be for a compartment.

Honestly, Peter already forgot his name but he didn’t really speak with the man unless he asked a question so it’s not like anyone would notice.

“Alright! Let’s crack this baby open!” Mr. Henderson exclaimed.

“Wait!” The Egyptologist ordered.

“Why should we wait?” Mr. Daniels questioned annoyed.

The Egyptologist looks at the two impatient Americans with a condescending look. “Seti was no fool.”

Peter finds those words a bit foreboding.

The Egyptologist and the Americans turn their gazes towards a few of their hired helpers who are just standing around. No words are spoken, as everyone silently agrees that if there is a trap, it’s better to have the helpers take the hit.  

Peter watches as the hesitant natives are ordered to open the hidden compartment. He slowly backs away towards the nearest exit as a precaution. Honestly, Peter is sometimes surprised that Sorting Hat hadn’t placed him in Slytherin because of his high level of self-preservation.

As soon as the compartment is opened, an intense burst of liquid sprays the natives, their screams of pain echoing throughout the halls as their skin begins to melt off before they quickly die of shock.

Peter literally squeaks in fear, the urge to transform into his animagus form is high, as the Egyptologist gazes on in indifference and the Americans in shock. Sure, there was a high probability of traps laid out in every corner, but to actually witnessing one as simple yet brutal, had everyone decide that this was enough excavating for the day.

After they looked inside the compartment.

Mr. Henderson ad Mr. Daniels eagerly pulled out a red chest from the feet of Anubis.

The Egyptologist reverently gazes over the still unopened chest, lightly touching the lid of the chest with the tips of his fingers. The golden strip of Hieroglyphics catch his attention.

“There is a curse upon this chest.” The Egyptologist states seriously.

“Curse my ass.” Mr. Daniels says sarcastically.

“Yeah who cares. We can easily break anything that’s on the chest. We ain’t Curse-Breakers for no reason.” Mr. Henderson boasts.

Peter honestly can’t understand why those Americans were being so quick to dismiss any type of curse. They were wizards! If anyone should understand the danger, it would be their kind! Curses have always been associated with Witches and Wizards and Peter is starting to think that they believed themselves – at least Mr. Daniels and Mr. Henderson – to be invincible against Ancient Magic that may or may not still be as strong as it was back then today.

The Egyptologist gives them the evil-eye and states, “In these hallowed grounds, that which was set forth in ancient times, is as strong today, as it was then.”

Mr. Daniels and Mr. Henderson roll their eyes and wave off the warning. Though Peter and Mr. Burns were the only ones who seemed to take the warning seriously.

“ _‘Death will come on swift wings to whomever opens this chest.’_ ” The Egyptologist reads aloud.

Suddenly a gust of wind brushes through, seemingly on purpose as if to signify the weight upon the warning. Everyone becomes a little more nervous and quickly looking around for any supernatural beings lurking around.

“It says, there is one, the undead, who if brought back to life, is bound by sacred law to consummate this curse.” The Egyptologist continues to read.

Honestly, Peter didn’t like the sound of that.

“Yeah, well, let's just make sure we don't bring anybody back from the dead then, huh?” Mr. Henderson jokes nervously.

The small group laughs, though it’s more nervous than anything. It is silent for only a few seconds as the group tries to dismiss any notions of a curse.

“He will kill all who open this chest, and assimilate their organs and fluids.” The Egyptologist read.

Mr. Daniels scrunched up his brow in confusion, not liking the sound of the words being read. “Assimilate their organs and fluids? Ya mean eat 'em?”

Peter slowly inches away from the rest of the group as the Americans look at each other in confusion, disgust and disbelief from what they are hearing.

“And in so doing he will regenerate. And no longer be the undead, but a plague upon this earth.” The Egyptologist finishes grimly.

The group stays frozen, quietly digesting the information as another gust of wind whistles eerily in the hallow chamber. Thus causing their few torches to flicker spookily. Peter and the Egyptologist share a fear-filled look.

Even Mr. Burns was looking quite nervous.

Mr. Henderson only shrugs, clearly dismissing the warning as something inconsequential. “Ah hell, let's open it anyways.” He says.

Just as they begin to open the chest, Peter whimpers and cries, “It’s the curse! Beware of the curse! It’s the curse!”

Quickly running out of the room towards the surface.

Mr. Daniels spits on the ground. “Stupid Superstitious Bastard. There ain’t no curse. Let’s open it already.”

Without further ado, the group pops open the lid, a bit of dust erupting from inside. The Egyptologist’s eyes widen in surprise.

“It truly exists.” The Egyptologist whispers excitedly.

“A book?! Where’s the treasure?” Mr. Daniels demands.

The Egyptologist rolls his eyes. “This gentlemen, is the famous Book of the Dead.”

“I thought it was supposed to be made out of solid gold?” Mr. Burns questions.

“It seems the Umbridge Scholars had made a translation error because the Book of Life is made out of solid gold and had been said to be buried under the feet of Anubis.” The Egyptologist explains. “This gentlemen, is the Book of the Dead.”

**Later that night**

Harry sat gazing at the fire as he and the others finished their dinner. Riddle and Bill had managed to find a couple of curses placed on the sarcophagus and decided that it would be best to work on them tomorrow when they had more time.

It was never a good idea to dissemble curses or wards when exhausted. Many who did, often made mistakes that costed them their lives or serious injury.

“Tomorrow, I figured I would take Hermione, Ron and Moody to explore more while you and Harry work on dismantling the curses on the sarcophagus.” Bill said. “And Draco can stay with you guys as well, that way he’s on standby if something should happen.”

Riddle hummed in thought as he went over Bill’s suggestion. “I think Draco should head with you guys as your group would be more likely to experience various traps and curses going deeper into the city. Harry and I will be fine. I’m a professional.”

Now Harry was all up for working and testing his skills on the sarcophagus, but working with just Riddle was going to be nerve wrecking. Especially since every time their eyes meet, Riddle’s intense gaze made Harry feel all flustered.

Bill’s eyes quickly gazed from Riddle’s to Harry and back before giving Riddle a knowing look. “Sure Tom. Whatever you say.”

Silence reigned for a few minutes before Bill once again broke it. “I heard our American friends had a misfortune today. They lost three of their diggers to an ancient booby trap. Apparently, they were hit with pressurized salt acid”

Everyone grimaced, not liking the implications.

“Although they managed to find a chest and a book that’s pretty valuable.” Bill informed.

“All we found was a sarcophagus.” Ron grumbled.

“Well, we’ll just have to double our efforts to beat the Americans, won’t we?” Tom smirked.

Hermione excitedly said. “I think we found an interesting treasure. Think about it! No one else has been buried like this! We could discover something when we open it up!”

Harry nodded in agreement.

“Hey guys! Look what I brought!” Ron exclaimed. “Firewhiskey!”

Hermione gasped. “Ronald Weasley! How could you bring alcohol to this expedition!? We need to be in top shape every hour of the day, not drunk and a burden to the others!”

“Geez, Hermione. It’s just to help us relax.” Ron rolled his eyes. “Nobody _has_ to drink it. I’m not going to force anyone to drink or get drunk.”

“The lass’ is right Weasley. Never let your guard down for one second. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!” Moody said, his magical eye roaming crazily around his head.

“Aw come on. Don’t tell me _everyone_ is against having _One_ drink.” Ron whined.

Draco snorted. “Hah. For you Weasley, you might end up drinking the whole bottle.”

Ron scowled but loosened up when he saw that Malfoy was only teasing. “Maybe. But still. Harry, Mate, don’t tell me you’re not going to not have at least a glass.”

Harry grinned. “Depends. I don’t want to get a hangover when I have to deal with ancient curses tomorrow.”

“Exactly.” Hermione agreed. “We need to be in great shape for our expedition.”

Ron easily deflated when everyone seemed to agree with no drinking during the expedition. It wasn’t like he wanted everybody to get shit faced drunk or anything, just something to relax with. He didn’t even dare with trying to convince his brother or Riddle, knowing that they would just lecture him like everybody else.

“I would actually care for a drink.”

Everybody snapped to attention at Riddle’s blasé comment and as he gazed expectedly at the youngest Weasley to bring him a bottle of Firewhiskey.

It took a few minutes for the words to register in his mind, but Ron happily handed over a bottle – as he quite a few to spare – to Riddle. Hermione looked scandalized though resigned as everyone else seemed to relax on their stances. Except Moody.

Harry startled as Riddle sat close – almost touching – and conjured two glasses from some loose pieces of wood, poured a generous amount in each and gave one to Harry. He politely took the offered glass and tried to make sure he wasn’t blushing because of their close proximity.

Tom Riddle was too handsome for anyone’s good.

Bill, Ron and Draco each poured themselves a glass and clinked it with a sound of “cheers”.

Sounds of galloping horses grew louder and everyone turned to the entrance of Hamunaptra to find a large group of men in black clothes and turbans with rifles, start shooting at the two groups. The first couple of shots had everyone jumping into action and grabbing their wands and guns. Since it seemed that they were Muggles, the wizards were hesitant for only a second before firing off spells of their own.

Harry didn’t want to kill anyone so he opted for shields and stunning spells and a few jinxed and hexed that wouldn’t cause any lasting damage to the Muggles.

“Stupefy!”

“Bombarda!”

“Protego!”

The fighting continued on, a few wounded on both sides, with spells and bullets flying all around.

“ENOUGH!” A deep voiced yelled.

Ceasing their attacks, all eyes watched as another man in black came to stand in between the two groups.

His dark gaze swept over the two groups who still held their wands and guns.

“There has been enough bloodshed tonight. Leave this place at once. You have until tomorrow.” The man ordered before motioning for his group to exit the city.

The wizards stood on guard for a few more tense minutes.

“That proves it!” Mr. Henderson exclaimed. “Old Seti’s treasure _must be_ buried here!”

Hermione exclaimed, “They were Muggles!! And we used magic in front of them! Oh no! We’ve broken the Statute of Secrecy!”

“Is she serious!” Mr. Daniels questioned. “I don’t know about you young lady, but those men were wizards. It seemed that they thought we were No-Majs before realizing that were Wizards. So they only used guns.”

Riddle nodded in agreement. “Indeed. These men are no ordinary wizards. They managed to conceal their magical presence until they attacked.”

“Perhaps we should join forces.” Mr. Burns suggested nervously, looking ridiculous with half his face shaven and the rest with shaving cream. “At least for tonight.”

Everyone agreed that tonight they would put aside their differences until the morning.

Night continued on, fires blaring brightly and a few drunk giggles were heard from Harry as he drank another large gulp from a Firewhiskey bottle. Everyone else in their group had gone to bed earlier after a drink or two, except Ron who snored loudly next to the fire and a bottle held in his arms.

Moody being the only exception who lightly doze with his magical eye constantly on the move for any threats.

“I think you’ve had enough drinks, Harry.” Riddle purred into his ear. The two of them so close, Harry was almost sitting on the older man’s lap.

Harry just smiled, waving the bottle around. “Unlike – unlike R-ron, I know how to say No, Mr. Riddle.” he slurred.

Riddle just chuckled amused, his arm holding Harry’s waist possessively. “Tom. Call me Tom.”

“Tom.” Harry’s said, testing the name out on his tongue, half-lidded green eyes gazing into blue-grey. Perhaps it was an eternity or a few minutes of them gazing into each other’s eyes before the silence was broken.

“Tom.” Harry whispered. “I want to kiss you.”

Their lips were so close to each other.

“I want to kiss you too.” Tom whispered back, as if afraid to break the moment.

“Why don’t you?”

Tom smirked darkly. “I’m a possessive man Harry. Once you’re mine, I’ll never let you go.”

Harry only smiled drunkenly as they both moved closer until their lips met in a messy but chaste kiss. Soon turning passionate as tongues entered each other’s mouths and explored.

Too soon for Tom’s liking, they broke the kiss. He liked what he saw. A flushed Harry who gazed back him in a drunken and silly stupor, with his lips bright red from the kiss.

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last much longer as Harry fell asleep right after, his soft snores barely heard compared to the younger Weasley’s loud snoring.

Tom signed in amusement and annoyance. He’d never had that happen before.

Though he wouldn’t mind a repeat of the kiss.

_Apun-Busiris lounged in boredom on a settee, with servants fanning and cooling him as he gazed at the Pharaoh and his heir talk about politics, standing near the bow of the lavish boat that sailed down the Nile. How Apun-Busiris wished there was something he could do other than sit here and look pretty for the Pharaoh – like a prized possession._

_Often he wished that the Pharaoh had never laid eyes on him, thus interrupting his calm but normal life._

_Although he was glad he never had to set eyes on his unpleasant relatives._

_Now he was never allowed to leave the palace to visit his friends. How he missed them. Two people that would forever be in his hearts and would always support him whenever he needed them and he would do the same for._

_However, disobeying the Pharaoh was cause for a severe punishment and Apun-Busiris never wished to see his friends hurt because they didn’t want him to become an object that the Pharaoh could take whenever he wanted._

_Not only did he have to deal with the politics – which he never cared for – he often had to deal with the suspicious gazes of the Pharaoh’s son and heir, Akhenaten. He understood why of course, didn’t mean that Apun-Busiris liked it._

_It wasn’t His fault that the Pharaoh chose a lover who was the same age as his son._

_Currently, said boat was docking onto the shore with Pharaoh’s bodyguards and Magi to protect the Royal Family both on water and land._

**_€Come my love.€_ ** _The Pharaoh ordered, holding out his hand for Apun-Busiris to take._

_Green eyes quickly darted from the Pharaoh’s to the Prince’s and back for only a second and smiled as he gracefully was pulled in the Pharaoh’s embrace. The trip back to the palace was uneventful but thankfully, didn’t take too long._

_Now as they sat leisurely with their servants fanning them and refilling their goblets, the Royal Family and Apun-Busiris watched the show before them._

_“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”_

_The screams of the female servants brought him out of his wandering thoughts as a large black snake slithered through, hissing and curling itself to ready for an attack. Those at the banquet screamed in fear and ran as fast as they could from the deadly reptile._

_The guards were quick to surround it and find a solution to dispose or move the snake from the Palace._

_**$Ssssstupid two leggers. Won’t move from my path. I’ll bite you!!$** The snake hissed._

_Apun-Busiris immediately jumped up and yelled, **$Don’t attack! We won’t hurt you!$** _

_He couldn’t watch as an innocent animal was to be wounded._

_It seemed everyone stood frozen, even the snake as they couldn’t believe the sounds they were hearing from Apun-Busiris’ mouth._

**_$A speaker!$_ **

_Fast as lightning, the snake moved towards Apun-Busiris and waking everyone up from their stupor._

**_€Guards! Protect Apun-Busiris!€_ ** _The Pharaoh yelled._

 **_€No!! I’m fine! Please don’t hurt him! He’s just lost!€_ ** _Apun-Busiris pleaded. **€Please, My Pharaoh! Please!€**_

_It was minutes with the Pharaoh gazing intently at pleading green eyes._

**_€Very well.€_ ** _Pharaoh agreed. **€Tell it, we mean no harm and a guard will set it free.€** _

_Apun-Busiris quickly told the snake what was going to happen next and the snake carefully was handed over to a guard before they left. The occupants within the throne room were still in a state of shock until excited murmurs echoed throughout._

_Although it was easy to see that the Pharaoh was quite impressed and in awe with his ability._

**_€You truly are a gift from the gods!€_ ** _The Pharaoh praised._

_Akhenaten's suspicious and loath filled gaze burned itself into Apun-Busiris' mind._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos, etc. Constructive criticism is also welcome.
> 
> So instead of using Nefertiti, like in the movies, I actually changed it to her husband from real life, Akhenaten.
> 
> I am unsure if I should have him reincarnated as well. I don't want to make an OC but I don't know if I should use any of the HP characters either. My original idea wasn't going to have a reincarnated Nefertiti character, but what do you guys think?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M A TERRIBLE AUTHOR!!!!!! THIS SERIOUSLY TOOK ME WAY TO LONG TO UPDATE! I HAD HAD HALF OF THE CHAPTER WRITTEN BUT THEN I STARTED PROCRASTINATING AND DISTRACTED WITH OTHER STORY IDEAS! 
> 
> I WILL TRY TO DO BETTER NEXT TIME!

 

**Hamunaptra July 24, 1999**

Harry groaned as he stumbled out of the tent and into the bright sunlight – which was not helping his hangover. Why did he drink so much? Harry had even told himself only one or two glasses! Instead it was more like an entire bottle of Firewhiskey. At least he knew Ron was in the same predicament as him, though the only downside about the situation was that Harry could feel Hermione’s disapproving glare burning into his back, but she would get over it eventually.

He hoped Draco had been prepared and brought some hangover potions.

Harry would’ve liked to take a pepper-up as well, but hangover potions and pepper-ups did not mix well together. He would rather be tired than have a massive headache.

“Morning!” Bill said loudly and much too chipper in Harry’s opinion. “I’ve seen you and Riddle had a great time last night.”

Harry looked on confused, his headache not helping him at all.

“What are you talking about?”

Bill grinned knowingly. “I saw you two sleeping together in your room this morning. Don’t be shy Harry. Everybody has needs.”

It took a full minute before Harry’s eyes widened in alarm at the implications of Bill’s words.

“What!? We didn’t sleep together!” Harry exclaimed, before wincing in pain.

Where was Draco when he needed him! His head felt like a giant herd of Hippograffs were pounding into his skull. And for that matter, he woke up dressed this morning! Nothing had been out of ordinary. At least, he didn’t think anything happened. He was alone when he woke up.

Harry paled drastically. What if he did something last night with Tom!? Wait, why was he calling him Tom!? He was Riddle! He needed to sort whatever misunderstanding was going on right now.

“Bill, I don’t know what you saw, but nothing happened last night with Riddle.” Harry stressed.

He was _so not_ sober enough for this.

“I’m hurt Harry. You said it was the best night you’ve ever had.” A deep voice purred, sending shivers down his spine.

Speak of the Devil and he shall appear, as the Muggles would say.

Harry was so embarrassed and covered his face with his hands, not bearing to look everyone in the face. Why didn’t he stop drinking after the first glass?! Harry could practically feel Bill’s suggestive smile being aimed at him with Tom’s smug smile behind him.

He could just die right now.

Harry needed something to distract from this. “Oh Merlin, I could just die right now.”

“Don’t go dying, then I won’t have your pretty face gaze at while I work.” Tom smirked.

Ugh, damn Tom Riddle. It was too early for whatever was going on right now and his hangover was not helping him. 

Finally as if whoever was up there decided they would take pity on poor Harry, because soon after, he spotted Draco trying to wake up Ron.

“Get up Weasel!” Draco demanded haughtily to the still sleeping Ron near the fire place, the same empty bottle of firewhiskey held in his arms.

Harry thanked whatever higher beings there were for Draco’s presence. He was never so glad to have a means of escape. Not even bothering to look up from his hands, he sped walked over to Draco and a hungover Ron. Carefully, he lowered his fingers just enough to give a quick glance to Bill and Riddle.

He quietly eeped when their bloody smug smiles were still looking at him. Harry decided he was not going to look at Bill or Riddle at all today.

“You look like shit Harry.” Draco said. “What’s this I hear about you and Riddle getting cozy last night? Did you guys shag?”

“I need a hangover potion.” Harry groaned. “And no we didn’t shag.”

Draco smirked. “I bet Riddle’s amazing in bed.”

“Urgh. I did not want to wake up to this conversation.” Ron groaned. “I don’t need to know about Harry’s sex life, thanks very much.”

Blushing, Harry hissed, “We didn’t shag!”

“Not yet.” Draco teased, as he gave the two of them their potions. “Everyone can practically see the sexual tension growing between you two. It’s only a matter of time.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Harry scowled. Today was just not his day.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Of course you don’t Potter.”

“Yeah, well, if you and Riddle really do shag, make sure to place a really strong silencing charm around your room. None of us want to hear your screams all night.” Ron said. “I learned from the last time I stayed over and you had a bed partner.”

Draco grinned wickedly. “Ooh. Potter’s a wanton whore in bed, bet Riddle would love that.”

“Shut up!!” Harry said embarrassedly.

Ron and Draco just laughed at his misfortune. And in return, Harry sent them both a painful stinging hex that had them yelling loudly.

Tom gazed at Harry amusedly, enjoying how the young Curse-Breaker was doing his best to ignore him. Sure, he probably shouldn’t have teased the young man this morning but his blush and embarrassment were just too delicious to ignore. Plus, the young man was clearly denying the attraction the two of them had. Even the other’s could see the heavy attraction they had towards each other.

And Tom was determined to get another kiss.

Currently, their task to unravel all the wards, curses and magic sealing this coffin, was slowly but efficiently coming along. Though, the silence between them was beginning to fill with tension. Sexual tension most likely and a bit awkwardness –at least on Harry’s part, Tom thought, though he was going to keep that to himself. He did not want to deal with any hexes or other volatile spells that could potentially trigger the magic on the coffin that would cause damage to them both.

They continued to work in silence. Unfortunately.

“How long do you think it will take us to unravel all this magic on the sarcophagus?” Harry asked, breaking the silence.

Tom tilted his head, appraising their finding.

“Perhaps a few days, maybe a week. We’re making great time with unraveling the wards but as you know, Curse-Breaking is a delicate job. And dangerous. We also have to consider the fact that there might be more wards or curses, once we unlock the sarcophagus. We’ll need to be on guard constantly.”

Harry nodded, focusing back to the delicate strands of magic interwoven in front of him. Furrowing his brows, Harry carefully placed the tip of his wand to a single loose thread of multiple wards they were taking apart. Curse-Breaking took a finesse that not many wizards could accomplish.

They continue to work in compatible silence, occasionally making small talk to pass time.

It wasn’t another two hours of working when Harry decided to take his lunch break, since Tom had taken his earlier. As he gazed at the sarcophagus, Harry wondered who lay inside and if they were really a criminal. Of course, that depended on how preserved the corpse was once they opened it.

Harry was practically vibrating in anticipation but knew to keep himself from getting too excited. They still had a bit to do until all the wards and curses were taken down.

 “I can practically see you vibrating with excitement from here.” Tom said.

Harry blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s just, this is the first major expedition I’ve been on as an Apprentice Curse-Breaker and I really want to show everyone that I can be just as good as everyone else.”

“That’s an admirable goal. Reminds me a bit of myself when I was younger.”

Harry looked on curiously. “Really?”

It was always nice to hear a little about Tom’s past that made him seem more human than some powerful unattainable wizard. Harry wasn’t going to lie to himself, he was actually glad that he was able to spend some time with Riddle, although he still have forgiven him or Bill for this morning.

“Yes, as you know, a good amount of Purebloods do not approve of half-bloods or Muggle-borns, especially those in Slytherin. And when I first entered the Wizarding World, many of my peers assumed I was a Muggle-born because of my last name.” Tom said. “Eventually I learned that I was a half-blood and did everything in my power to show everyone how great I would be. That any witch or wizard can be great, greater than any purebloods who only have their lineage to support them.”

Harry was impressed to say the least.

“I believe we are a lot more alike than you know.” Tom said.

Harry didn't say anything. From what he knew of Tom Riddle, Harry could admit that there were some similarities but he wasn't sure if they were _that_ alike. But Tom went back to working on his side of the wards before Harry could reply.

Hermione studied the map that Bill, Riddle and Harry had found yesterday, the empty hallway was full of cobwebs and dark with only her wand as the means of light. Many would’ve been fearful for any monsters or curses lurking about but Hermione was a logical person by nature.

As long as she didn’t touch anything and constantly sent spells to check for any curses or the like, she could work in relative peace.

Bill and the others had actually gone ahead when she insisted on copying and studying the map in front of her. After carefully getting every detail and Hieroglyphic onto the parchment, Hermione carefully rolled it up and placed it securely into her moleskin bag.

She decided to checkup on Harry and make sure they were actually working instead of Riddle flirting and doing unsavory things to her best friend.

Honestly, how Harry could not see the sexual tension between himself and Riddle was a mystery. Although, to be fair, Harry was extremely clueless when someone was trying to flirt with him. Suitors had a better chance of dating or sleeping with harry if they just bluntly told him what they wanted, however, they also had a higher chance of dating a hippogriff than Harry.

Hermione just sighed at the thought.

So many awkward situations she had been forced to witness.  

At least it was somewhat entertaining.

But those thoughts could be for another time. She had some more exploring to do and a key to steal from that sexist Egyptology for the Yanks.

And hopefully, whatever Harry and Riddle had would get resolved soon.

**July 28, 1999**

Everyone waited with baited breath as Bill, Harry, and Riddle finished the last bits of wards that encased the coffin before they were able to open it. After the long days they worked on this coffin, many of them were eager to see inside. When the last of the wards fell, they all gave a small cheer. 

Hermione was quick to use the star shaped key to unlock the stone coffin.

Once opened, they saw it was another sarcophagus inside, one that most were familiar with for important people in shape, but was completely plain in color, and also had the star shaped lock.

"Another one?" Ron said, "They must have really didn't want someone to be disturbed."

Bill levitated the sarcophagus out of its confines to have it rest against a nearby wall. The excitement palpable in the chamber.

"His sacred spells have been chiseled off as well." Bill said, carefully tracing the sarcophagus. "Not only was he condemned in life but in the afterlife too."

"Glad I'm not this poor sod." Draco said.

 Riddle took the key from Hermione and placed it in the lock. "Let's see who's inside."

After a moment, the sound of a click was heard and Riddle and Bill were quick to pry the lid off.

"Aaaahhhh!" Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco screamed when the body popped out from its confines, with Moody whipping out his wand like a whip.

"Ugh, that was terrible." Draco complained. The others silently agreed. 

Hermione giggled nervously. "It was almost like a popular Muggle Haunted House where things pop out to scare you."

Ron looked at her in disbelief. "Muggles like that sort of thing?"

Draco snorted. "How barbaric."

Hermione gave him the stink eye, but decide that this wasn't the time for a fight. They had to act professionally.

Seeing no danger, Moody put his wand away and hobbled towards the corpse.

"Corpse is a little too meaty to be a mummy." Moody said. "Thought them things were supposed to be dried."

"They are." Harry answered surprised and confused.

Riddle appraised the corpse with a a keen eye. "Fascinating. The mummy must be over 3,000 years old, and yet, it still looks like he is decomposing."

"Hey look at these marks!" Draco exclaimed.

Harry knelt down beside him and traced the claw marks on the lid. "These were made by fingernails."

He turned to look at the corpse in surprise.

"This person was buried alive."

The grouped gazed at the mummy at one, a ghostly moan and wind passed through.

Harry shivered from the feeling. 

Seeing Riddle next to the corpse gave him a weird feeling, like something important might happen on this trip. And he didn't mean finding Seti's gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, kudo, etc,. Constructive Criticism is welcome too.
> 
> I will try to not take so long update my older stories again.


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